Speaking to Harinda Fonseka, Founder and CEO of Gudppl 

Gudppl (good people) is a new social network in Sri Lanka, with a passion to make a positive meaningful impact at home and around the world through volunteerism. They connect people of all ages, skill sets and interests who want to volunteer with those who need volunteers. We spoke to Harinda Fonseka the Founder and CEO of Gudppl to get more details. 

What was the inspiration behind starting such an organization? 

I lived in Canada for almost 10 years, studying and gaining valuable work experience. During that time, I was inspired by the volunteers at the Trillium Health Hospital where I worked for over 7 years. They were very passionate and dedicated towards their cause; some of them have volunteered for over 40-50 years on a weekly/bi-weekly basis. When I moved back home, I started taking steps towards achieving my childhood dream, which is to serve my fellow country men and women in a positive and meaningful way. 

I was unable to find a central platform where I could find ways to give my time, knowledge and skills to worthy causes based on my interests and availability. Unless I already knew about an organisation through personal experience or localised exposure, I found it bit overwhelming trying to understand where to start and how I could add value to my community. 

We see a ‘brain drain’ in our country (i.e. many Sri Lankans either go abroad for education and don’t return or gain their education here and then leave for opportunities in other countries), but we know there are many Sri Lankans around the world, and the ones who have recently moved back, who want to get involved in adding value to our country. There is a growing movement of Sri Lankans that is actively engaging in starting responsible businesses. 

The goal is to create a platform that provides the infrastructure to support volunteerism as it's often difficult for people to find ways of giving their time, knowledge, and skills to worthy causes. We're supportive of initiatives large and small from both well-known and newer groups alike and believe this platform gives a voice to all types of organisations. Importantly, it has the potential to elevate smaller quieter operations, to really showcase their work and welcome people to join in growing their impact. We want to broaden people's options, give them flexibility that responds to their background or situation, and introduce them to a wider variety of active organisations or initiatives in their location. 

There is a lot of emphasis in the public discourse in Sri Lanka about corruption and negative behaviours in our society. But I believe in the next 7-12 years, Sri Lanka will be one of the leaders in ‘Social Entrepreneurship’ because of a growing strong desire to create ‘Responsible Businesses.’ Look at all the amazing efforts made by organisations such as Good Market, Lanka Social Ventures, Social Enterprise Lanka, Seyln, Earth Bound, CSR Lanka and the list goes on and on. 

How does it work? 

We are a Social Network, for people who want to do good. People can create an account (like other mainstream social networks), and browse the available volunteer opportunities on their home page. Users then can pledge their attendance for the opportunity. 

Whether it's an ongoing role one is interested in, or a one-off event when they have the time, the platform caters to all. Organisations and Groups can also create a profile and post their volunteer requirements. We also support organisations to find donors for items/supplies. 

We at Gudppl aim to address the volunteer burnout. So many people may give of their time, but without being recognised and supported to do so, they ultimately stop. To tackle this, Gudppl helps to celebrate the importance of giving back and – as a network – links like-minded people together to get involved and stay involved. 

We are committed to recognising and inspiring volunteerism. To achieve this, we have introduced “DEED FEED” feature on user profiles which displays thank you/feedback messages from the event/opportunity organiser for a volunteer’s good deeds; “CONTRIBUTIONS” to help keep a log of one’s volunteer hours and “GUD NEWS” which promotes positive news in Sri Lanka and around the world. 

We believe we can help organisations maximise impact by making the process efficient and effective. 

For example, during the floods last May, the tech start-ups and other businesses came up with innovative ways to help those affected. It was quite remarkable how Sri Lankans came together. However, there were a lot more people (mainly the diaspora) who felt the needs of the flooded areas weren't clear, messages and responses to the affected communities were somewhat disconnected. 

This platform would be the perfect solution to that in future because it would allow local charities, religious institutions, schools, even Ministries to consolidate the 'needs' onto one platform so that the public knows exactly what is required and how and when to deliver it. It can support critical cross-coordination between organisations tackling similar localities or issues, so that vertical programming doesn't result in replication of efforts, but rather harmonization of efforts and what's needed. 

What are your future aspirations? 

To become the 'one-stop shop' for people who want to do good for their communities and society. The idea is that people can tailor their volunteering experience to their schedule, location, and areas of passion, or equally, can seek out new areas to give their time that they may never have known about before. All because it's on one easily searchable platform. We want to help streamline the experience for organisations as well, giving them a clear outlet through which to recruit individuals to come along and get involved in their work. 

In what ways can people help? Can anyone help? 

Whether you’re an individual or an organisation, you can sign up with us at www.gudppl.com. Then let us know your feedback and any volunteer opportunities you know of. One day, we all can proudly say how we contributed towards shaping a platform that does good for the people and the planet. 

Yes, anyone can help, however at this point users need to be 14 years and above to sign up on our platform. We encourage family friendly opportunities, so children have the potential to volunteer with their parents even without a profile on Gudppl. 

Do you conduct volunteer training programmes? 

We promote ethical and responsible volunteering. All volunteers are expected to follow the Gudppl ‘Honour Code.’ We at Gudppl encourage and ask the organisers to always provide the proper training, briefing and tools to the volunteers prior to volunteering. There are a couple of features we are planning to release soon, that will emphasise educating volunteers and setting standards. 

Who comprises of your team? 

We’re a growing group of enthusiastic, passionate, optimistic and caring people. Currently we have four full-time team members and two third-party tech companies who are developing the website and mobile apps. 

However, I am blessed with the support of several amazing good people who advise me regularly which includes my closest friends and parents. I am so lucky to have so many people genuinely rooting for this social enterprise to succeed. 

What are some of the programmes that you have done so far? 

We have supported a few organisations with finding volunteers, including to paint a children’s ward at the cancer hospital and connected several donors with orphanages to purchase chairs, cupboards, paint, etc. 

We’ve organised weekly 1-hour piano lessons at an orphanage and held several musical therapy sessions at an elder’s home. 

And what has been the most memorable? 

For me so far, I’ve most enjoyed spending time with elders. We have so much to learn from them. Their contributions to our society who helped build some of the infrastructure we are using today. So, it’s important that we give our time and love to them. 

Any message or inspiration to youth or any aspiring volunteers? 

Dream big, start small and act now. My challenge to all readers is that they do something good in the next 10 minutes. The world improves with a continuous flow of small good deeds, so it is imperative that we act now. 

I would love to hear what you did ([email protected] or find me on FB, twitter, #guddeeds). 

Watch our YouTube video (www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnrMnKHGSSE&feature=youtu.be) to get a grasp of what we do! 

Official contact details? 

Email [email protected] or through our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/slgudppl). We can be contacted at 0112731675 during Monday - Friday, from 8:30AM - 4:30PM. My email is [email protected]

Website: www.gudppl.com